[NatureNS] Good interview about nesting migratory birds on

From: "John and Nhung" <nhungjohn@eastlink.ca>
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Date: Mon, 17 Jun 2019 22:43:33 -0300
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I do appreciate devils' advocates and the spirit in which you raise these questions, David.  Without honest skepticism, we would jump to more wrong conclusions.  However, points made by Bev, Fred, Larry, and may others are pretty convincing!  

I'd say there are plenty of culprits behind the demise of various species, and the more we can do to mitigate the effects of any of them, the better.

Black-throated greens have traditionally been common around our place this time of year.  Have yet to hear one this year.  Not sure if that’s a local phenomenon.  Hope so.  We are south of Yarmouth in oldfield and conifer country.

-----Original Message-----
From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of Bev Wigney
Sent: June 17, 2019 6:02 PM
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Good interview about nesting migratory birds on Information Morning today

Hi David, and all,

One of the major problems that I have with comparisons that involve
cats, road collisions, window collisions, and habitat destruction, is
that it seems to be assumed that the same species of birds are evenly
distributed across areas of remote woodlands, marshes, city parks,
McMansion suburbia, apple orchards, and seashores.   That's really not
giving much credit to certain types of forest providing very specific
habitat for birds that favour remote woodlands, "old forest" hardwood
stands, Black Spruce wetlands, and so on.

Let's take, for example, Corbett-Dalhousie Lake's hardwood stand in
Annapolis -- a truly wonderful area where you won't hear the sound of
a vehicle for hours, or barely a plane flying over throughout a whole
day. I posted a bird list for it last week -- that Scott Leslie and a
couple of other experienced birders (and research people) also counted
in that forest:
Blackburnian warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow-rumped warbler
Black and White Warbler
Red-eyed vireo
Blue-headed vireo
Ovenbird
Yellow-bellied sapsucker
Winter wren
Northern waterthrush
Northern parula
Spotted sandpiper (at the shore)
Eastern wood pewee
Northern goshawk

I'm expect you could have at least 2 or 3 off of that list in your
Wolfville backyards, but really -- Northern Waterthrush, Ovenbird,
Northern Parula, Blackburnian Warblers, Black-throated Blue, or
Black-throated Green Warblers?  Somehow that strikes me as unlikely.
I'm guessing that you might see more Bluejays, Cardinals, Robins,
Starlings, Song Sparrows and others that I would think of as being
more "urban" or "suburban" birds that have become very tolerant of
human noise and activity.

Now, if we all devoted a lot more serious effort to "road ecology" --
similar to that done by Dr. Fred Schueler (a long-time member of this
list) or Kari Gunson  --  co-authors of the recently published
"Wildlife on Roads: A Handbook," we might be able to speak with some
authority on which species of birds are being killed by auto
collisions, or collisions with windows, and that might even take care
of the "cat theory" as well.  The birds mostly likely to fall victim
to those deaths are, I would imagine, the more suburban and urban
dwellers, and not those that reside in isolated forests.    In my many
visits to Corbett-Dalhousie Lake, I have barely seen a moving vehicle.
There are no glass windows.  There are no cats.  I have found no
road-killed birds.  However, there is plenty of clearcutting and
partial cutting, and variable harvesting, and all the "other" cutting
that we're being told is done as alternatives to clearcutting --  most
of which remove more than 70 percent of the trees -- and sometimes as
much as 80 to 100 percent. I suspect that fledglings being hit by cars
are the least of a bird's problems out there.

If I sound a little jaded on the car collision and cat theories that
are so often trotted out by certain individuals at Min. of Environment
and Min. of Lands and Forestry as being the "real culprits" for bird
death, I apologize.  I guess I've just seen too much of what's going
on out here in "real bird country" and not so much of what's going on
in "city and suburban bird country", or along roadways through farming
country.

I think we all need to get with it and begin approaching this topic
seriously -- realizing that many of our most threatened species are
not going to be saved by putting up bird feeders and bird houses to
replace the more remote and varied habitat which they require in order
to survive.

bev wigney
Round Hill

On 6/17/19, David Webster <dwebster@glinx.com> wrote:
> Hi John and all,
>
>      Just to be the Devil's Advocate, one should bear in mind that,
> while or shortly after birds are learning to fly a great many suffer
> collisions with motor vehicles. As an order of magnitude guess I suspect
> about 100 times as many die on highways as in logging operations.  After
> all, logging involves about 1% of woodland annually year round and if
> the critical nesting period spans two months then the area involved is
> (1/6)% or one part in 600.
>
>      Should one be required to walk ahead of motor vehicles during this
> period, blowing a horn during daytime and swinging a lantern at night ?
>
> Dave W, Kentville
>
> On 6/17/2019 3:10 PM, John and Nhung wrote:
>> The forest ecosystems of Nova Scotia owe you big-time, Bev.  You get the
>> credit for starting this particular train rolling.  If this leads to a
>> moratorium (or better still, a ban) on logging during nesting seasons,
>> well ... I think we should all do what we can to maintain the momentum
>> which has been started in that direction.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca]
>> On Behalf Of Bev Wigney
>> Sent: June 17, 2019 12:30 PM
>> To: naturens
>> Subject: [NatureNS] Good interview about nesting migratory birds on
>> Information Morning today
>>
>> All,
>>
>> As many of you know, I've been quite involved for some time
>> (understatement) in trying to get LAF to acknowledge and pay serious
>> attention to ecology and conservation issues at Corbett-Dalhousie Lake
>> Forest here in Annapolis County.  You will probably have read that
>> after the discovery of Chimney Swift activity at the forest, and
>> probable nesting in the huge Yellow Birch of that forest that have
>> numerous hollows and cavities -- and then other migratory species on
>> territory -- and the confirmation of at least one nest in the centre
>> of the forest -- a hold was finally called on operations late Friday
>> afternoon.  (Sigh of relief -- for a little while, at least).
>>
>> Anyhow, if you've been following the news, you'll have heard that
>> certain individuals in the forestry indust